Bail wat switch



(No Model.)

H. L. FORD.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented. Oct. 20, 1885;

WWW,

grapller, Washmglun. n. c.

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ra'rns AIENI much.

HERBERT L. FORD, OF AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TOWILLIAM TURNBULL, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,842, dated October20, 1885.

Application filed June 22, 1885. Serial No. 169,425. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT L. FORD, of Aiken, in the county of Aikenand State of South Carolina, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Railway-Switches, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs.

My present invention is an improvement upon that patented to me byLetters Patent of the United States No. 319,398, granted June2, 1885. Iemploy the same arrangement of main tracks, side tracks, and pivotedswitch-section set forth in that patent, and therefore will not nowdescribe these features more particularly.

My present improvement consists in combining,with a shoe and a fixedportion of the main track, a pointed spring-rail attached at one end tothe elevated part of the'body of the shoe and free to move laterally atthe other or pointed end. In my said patent, instead of having such aspring-rail, I used what I called fixed switch-points G and H, cast inone with the body or elevated middle part of the shoe. In the presentinstance I still employ one short fixed switch-point integral with theshoe; but the other or longer one, which I call the spring-rail, ismovable on the upper surface of the shoe, as above stated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view showing the switch setfor the main track; Fig. 2, the switch set for the side track; and Fig.3 a cross-section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

In describing the drawings it will be assumed, as in my said patent,that the top of the sheet is north and the bottom, where the side trackis shown, south.

Referring to the letters upon the drawings, A indicates the main tracknorth, and B the main track south. Oindicates the side track; D, insideguardrails slightly curved, and E indicates the shoe or bed-plate, whichis well shown in cross-section in Fig. 3. In each shoe is seated at oneside the slightly outwardly-curved end F of one of the main tracks northwhich constitute the switch- The middle portion of the shoe is elevated,as shown in Fig. 3, so that the in the usual manner,'in connection withthe switch-sections of the main track. The pointed spring-rails Hnormally bear, as illustrated in the drawings, against the rails A, nearthe point of curvature, and constitute portions of the main track. It isadvisable that there be a slight offset in the sides of the main track,as illustrated, so that the pointed ends of the spring-rails may becovered and not be liable to be struck by the wheels.

The spring-rails may be made of a good 0 quality of spring-steel, orsprings may be applied to them in any ordinary way, (not illustrated,)tending to keep them in place, as illustrated; but I prefer to make thespringrails themselves of steel, so that they of themselves keep inplace, as shown.

As a train approaches from the side track going northward when theswitch is in position,as shown in Fig. 1, the flange of the wheel willthrow the pointed end of the left-hand 8o spring-rail to one side, asillustrated in the dotted lines, Fig. 2, and the train will pass ontothe main track A.

WVhen a train is going north from the main track B, as shown in Fig. 1,the flanges of the wheels will pass in front of both the springrails II,which in their normal'position, as shown in this figure, form acontinuation of the main track A. The wheels pass thence to the maintrack A. Whenthe switch is set, 0

as shown in Fig. 2, a train going north from the main track will movethe right-hand spring-rail laterally, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2,and pass onto the main track A. When. a train is going north from theside track, as shown 5 in Fig. 2, the flanges of the wheels will pass infront of the spring-rails H, and thence to the rails A. A trainapproaching from the north will not move either one of the springrails,but will always keepv on the main track an integral cast raised middleportion and two switch-points, one of which is cast in one piece withthe middle portion of the shoe and the other attached thereto, supportedthereby, and movable thereon, the shoe carrying a curved section of themain track and a curved switch-guard, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

HERBERT L. FORD. Witnesses:

MARCUS S. HOPKINs, LLOYD B. WIGHT.

